News, Advice, and Tips for Parenting Teenagers

In both the United States and Canada, parents, teachers and school administrators have expressed concerns about the prevalence of cell phones in classrooms. Many school administrators have heard from upset parents whose kids are being distracted at best, and bullied at worst, via text messages -- and many teachers worry about the ability of cell phones to augment efforts to cheat on exams and other in-class projects.

In an article in the British Columbia publication Maple Ridge News writer and educator Graham Hookey argues that cell phone rules at school won't help unless they're also enforced at home:

Even while an attempt is made to limit communication during classes, there are few limits outside of class. Studies are showing that many teens are suffering from sleep deprivation, anxiety and in some cases depression caused by incessant computer and cell phone activity. ...

I realize I come across as some kind of Luddite when I say things like this, but whenever a parent comes to me with a sheaf of paper full of poor behaviour, I often ask if they have considered taking away their childs phone or computer. The response is almost universally the same, "Why would we punish our child for things others are doing to them?"

"Educators do not have a lot of tools, or even much authority to govern the activity of students outside of the school day," Hookey wrote. "The best we can do is educate students in appropriate behaviour and educate parents to monitor communication behavior and, if necessary, take away the options at home."

Labels: technology, computers, school, cell phones

Posted By: Aspen/CRC